The Gordon Conference on Molecular Membrane Biology will provide an informa forum for current advances and directions in this rapidly developing field. Sessions will be devoted to the structure of membrane proteins; translocati n of proteins into and across membranes; sorting of proteins in the secretory pathway; interaction of membrane proteins with the cytoskeleton and mobilit of organelles; cell polarity; transmembrane signalling by cell surface receptors; structure and function of membrane lipids; receptors and endocytosis; and organelle structure and biosynthesis. These topics are closely interrelated yet involve such diverse disciplines that investigator would benefit greatly from this meeting. We will devote one session to abo t six 15 minute talks on exciting new developments, presented by young applicants to the meeting who submit abstracts to the chairman. This, together with two extensive poster sessions, should allow a maximum amount of dissemination of new data, and should allow workers to make important contacts with those in complementary disciplines. We request that this application be reviewed by the Molecular Cytology Stud Section, a group with special expertise in this area. We also would like this proposal considered for partial funding by several NIH institutes additional to NIGMS. The involvement of membrane proteins in disease and i novel therapeutic approaches will be a significant overall part of the meeting. For instance we will discuss the assembly of the influenza virus hemagluttinin and entry of icosahedral viruses into cells, subjects directl relevant to infectious diseases. A discussion of abnormalities in the insulin receptor in certain patients with type II diabetes will be part of the session on cell surface receptors, and new results on excitation- contraction coupling in striated muscle will be part of the organelle structure session. Receptors for growth facts and for matrix components wi l be discussed in some detail, and these have well-known involvement in aspec s of cell transformation and oncogenesis.